Winning Game 4 all Giroux cares about

Philadelphia Flyers' Ray Emery, left, taks with Claude Giroux , right, during the first period in Game 3 of an NHL hockey first-round playoff series against the New York Rangers, Tuesday, April 22, 2014, in Philadelphia. The Rangers won 4-1. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

Philadelphia Flyers' Claude Giroux, right, looks down as New York Rangers' Dan Girardi, left, skates by during the second period in Game 3 of an NHL hockey first-round playoff series, Tuesday, April 22, 2014, in Philadelphia. The Rangers won 4-1. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

VOORHEES, N.J. — Since two losses out of three playoff games ain’t good, Claude Giroux figured it was time to start playing only the numbers games that matter. By shrugging off his miniscule personal numbers against the New York Rangers Wednesday, it made it easy for Giroux to make a bigger deal of the numbers that matter most.

“They’ve got to win two more games to win the series, so that’s how we look at it,” Giroux said. “Our focus is on Friday, on the next game. We can’t do anything about the games in the past so we just look forward to the next game.”

So onward Giroux moved with a calculated mental march, trying to silently slip by the fact that although he’s a plus-3 in a series that his Flyers now trail by 2-1 entering Game 4 Friday night at Wells Fargo Center, he can justify his series totals of no goals, one assist and two shots on goal in a simple matter of division.

Divide the Rangers’ defense somehow and Giroux and his fellow dormant Flyers forwards might yet conquer what looks like an invincible opponent. Or does that now seem a bit unrealistic?

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“Maybe you guys are still hitting the panic button here,” Giroux said. ... apparently to reporters and cameramen. “If you look at the game (a 4-1 loss in Game 3 Tuesday), we did a lot of good things. We need to just stick with it. ... If we keep playing the same way we’re going to win Friday.”

With a simple statement like that, some of the panic driven media declared Giroux had just issued a winning guarantee about Game 4. Whether he intended that or not, of course, hardly matters. Because if the Flyers don’t shape up and start scoring by Friday night, this series is going to be all but mathematically over.

Through three games, all of three goals have been scored by Flyers forwards.

As for New York forwards, nine goals have been registered by them.

Giroux’s first two shots on goal of the series came in Game 3, and he hasn’t scored a goal in his last 13 meetings with the Rangers. What they’re doing to him in this series is barely legal in professional wrestling circles, but is also a perfectly executed coach’s game plan. The Rangers have gotten everybody involved in physical play, and that has produced a lot of bumping and bashing Giroux’s way.

While Flyers coach Craig Berube continues to try to catch up, he says Giroux “has to fight through it.” But Giroux is finding it easier to issue fighting words than meaningful actions.

“We did a good job with the puck,” Giroux insisted. “We won a lot of battles. We need to be able to get pucks through. We had around 30 shots and they blocked (almost) another 30. If we do a better job of getting the pucks to the net I think we’ll have more chances.”

For a numerically correct viewpoint, look at it this way: The Flyers scored once Tuesday despite 80 shot attempts. Yes, 80. One hit net. Goalie Henrik Lundqvist turned away 31. The Rangers blocked 28. That leaves 20 shot high and wide by Giroux and his Side of the Barn Gang.

One thing they might going their way: they’re down a game in the series. This team does seem to know how to play from behind.

To that end, Sean Couturier, another center whose line has been offensively muted in this series, was asked if he felt “natural to be in a hole.”

“Maybe it seems that way,” Couturier said, “but we definitely don’t want to be in that hole. We’ve come all year from behind and I don’t see why we couldn’t again. We have to take it one game at a time, one shift at a time. Those little details are what matters in playoffs and it’s going to be huge to do those little things right.”

To Couturier, the key for any and every Flyers line is to not only break through the Rangers’ defenses, but get into Lundqvist’s comfort zone.

“Guys need to be in front of the net,” he said. “We have to do a better job screening Lundqvist. What he doesn’t see is going to be hard to stop.”

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Steve Mason practiced with the AHL promotees and top prospects at the Skate Zone Wednesday, and declared himself good to go before and after the test.

“I felt fine waking up,” Mason said. “It’s been a steady progression. I’m sure (Thursday) will be even better as well. Playoffs have a different intensity. More is on the line. But I don’t think I’ll have too much trouble picking it up.”

Looking ahead to his anticipated first start of the series in Game 4 Friday night, Mason said, “I’ve been sitting out for a while now and I just have to make sure the remaining practices are utilized, and whenever I do get in there I’m ready to go.”

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NOTES: Video replays of what appears to be a Matt Read arm shot to the head of Dan Carcillo in Game 3 seemed to incense people in New York. But the unpenalized hit didn’t draw as much a blink from the league’s office of Brendan Shanahan disciplinary clones. Of course, Carcillo not only managed to stagger to his feet, he scored a goal after that. ... Berube in being confident his team can come back and win the series: “Why wouldn’t be confident?” he said. “This is no time to put your heads down. We lost a game at home, we’re down 2-1 but we’ve got a game Friday. We’ve got to be positive.”